Oil-pump screen



Dec. 11, 1928.

L. V. CRAM OIL PUMP SCREEN Filed Oct. 5, 1927 "anni Patented Dec. 11,1928.

narran srltr'Es PATENT orifice.

LEROY v. CRAM, orHrLiN'r, MrcHiGAN, AssIGNon To ennuient Morroneconi-orali- Tron, or nn'rnorr, MICHIGAN, A ccnrcnnrron,ornntnwnnnOIL-PUMP SCREEN.

Application filed October 5, 1927. Serial No. 224,180.

My invention relates to lubricating` systems for internal combustionandother engines of the type wherein oil is withdrawn from the crankcaseofthe engine by a suitable pump, and forced by the pump to various partsto be lubricated, 'or to various places where a supply of oil has to bemaintained; an example of such a system, and a system wherein myinvention is made use of, being disclosed in the application for patentliled by Charles W. McKinleyand myself upon May 19, 1927, Serial Number192,712. My invention relates particularly to a strainer or filterdesignedk for use in lubricating systems of the type just mentioned; thepurpose vthereof being to prevent, so far as possible, the entrancek ofimpurities into the oil pump and their presence in the stream of oilforced thereby to the various parts to be lubricated.

he drawing accompanying and forming apart of this specificationillustrates the preferred form of my inventionralthough the same may beembodied in other forms, `and l regard my invention asembracing andincluding all such other forms as come within the scope oftheconcludingclaims, wherein the particular `features in which myinvention consists are particularly pointed out and claimed,

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view showing my invention as applied to the suction pipeof an oil pump of an engine lubricating system. l

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing a detail of my invention. y u pFigure 3 is a view' showing ablank cut from coarse and comparativelyheavy woven wire screen material, and which when properly shapedprovidesa prctectingshield yelement of my improved strainer.

Figure lis a view showing a protecting shield formed from the blankshown in ,Figure 3, the view showing the shield in end elevation. y

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the features shown in planin Figure 2.v

Figure 6 is a view showing a section upon a transverse plane indicatedby the line 6, 6, VFigure 1, looking up. z

Figure 7 is afragmentary view showing a sectionupon a planeperpendicular to the sheet of the drawing and indicated by the line 7 7,Figure 1, and upon a larger scale than Figure 1.

ReferrinfY to the drawingr the reference numeral 9 designates,'.onventionally, the cylinder block of an internal combustion or otherengine; 10 the oil pan to which oil returns by gravity from the variousparts lubricated, and which normally contains a considerable quantityor' oil; 11 an oil pump, one of the rotary variety, for example. as inthe application for patent hereinbefore mentioned; 12 the suction pipethrough which oil from the cranli case enters the pump; and 18 thedischarge pipe leading from the pump to the various parts and places tobe supplied with oil.

- The reference numeral 1e designates a disc-shaped screensupportingmember which is made from sheet metal and which, while shownas slightly conical in form, does not differ materiall from a flat andcommonly circular disc. rlhe `middle part of this supporting member isslit-ted by a suitable tool to provide a plurality of triangular lugs15, which are bent out at right angles to the plane of the member 1.1i-,and extend laterally therefrom, said lugs being spaced around a centralopening in the screen support. A guide tube 16- is arranged in theopening,'and the lugs are fastened to the tube. as by welding, solderingor otherwise; the tube when assembled with the member 111 extending atrightangles thereto. rlhis tube will be slightly greater in diameterthan `the suction pipe'12v of the pump with which my device is to beused; so that the tube forms a guide for. the strainer as a whole andmaintains it in substantially the relation to the suction tubeillustrated in Figure 1.

'The strainer as a whole is held down against the bottom wall of the oilpan 10 by a. spring 17 which surrounds the guide tube 16 and the suctionpipe 12 with which the tube is concentric. y

The numeral 1 designates a filtering screen the mesh of which issufliciently line to prevent impurities of any a aprecia] le size frompassing therethrough and to the pump. It is made from a circular blank,not shown, which is givena substantially semisphcrical form by the Vusekof vsiuitable dies; and the yfree edge about the open upper end of theformed screen is fastened to the screen support 14 along the peripherythereof.` Pref'- erably this fastening is accomplished by forming anoutward extending flange at the upper end of the screen as it is shapedfrom the blank, and turning the periphery of the screen support inwardand onto the flange by the use of suitable dies, to thereby form a seambetween the parts of substantially the form shown in Figures 1 and 7.rI`he upper end of the semispherical screen may, however, be secured tothe periphery of the screen support 14 by soldering, or in any othersuitable way.

The fine mesh screen 18 is made from such light screen stock or wirecloth that it is likely, if not protected, to be injured in handling thestrainer, or during the manufacture thereof, and again even the slightpressure of the spring 17 might collapse the screen as it holds itagainst the bottom wall of the oil pan. Therefore and in order to guardagainst the above mentioned and other injuries I provide an externalprotecting shield for the screen, the same being much more resistant toforces tending to crush or otherwise injure the screen than the screenitself.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated the protecting shieldis designated by the numeral 19; the same being in the form of a coarsemesh and comparatively heavy wire screen which overlies the moredelicate screen 18 and prevents injury thereto. This shield is made froma blank cut from screen stock of the proper mesh and size of wire, theblank being of approximately the shape shown in Figure 3. The blank isthen given a form such that it will fit quite closely over the screen18, as by the use of suitable forming dies, t-he shield in its finishedform being shown in end elevation in Figure 4. Preferably the shieldoverlies the middle part only of the screen 18, as the protection thusafforded is quite sufficient, and a shield of the form shown may be muchmore easily formed from the heavy screen material or wire cloth fromwhich it is made than a shield truly semispherical in form, like thescreen which it overlies and protects. The ends of the shield 19 arefastened to the screen supporting member 14 at opposite pointsin theperiphery thereof as by Hanging the ends and enclosing ianges in theseam formed by bending the periphery of the member 14 inward and ontothe flange of the screen 18, as best shown in Figure 7 of the drawing;although the ends of the shield may be fastened to the screen support bysoldering, or in any other suitable manner.

In View of the premises it will be appreciated that the fine mesh andcomparatively frail screen 18 is protected by a much stronger shield 19which overlies the same, thereby preventing injury to the screen duringthe manufacture and handling thereof,

and thereafter when it is in use in the manner contemplated.

I-Iaving thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent:

1. A strainer comprising a disc-shaped screen support having a tubularguide eX- tending therefrom, a fine mesh filtering screen semisphericalin form, and the free edge of which is secured to said support along theperiphery thereof; and a perforated protecting shield arranged outsidesaid screen and secured to the periphery of said disc-shaped screensupport.

2. A strainer comprising a disc-shaped screen support, a fine meshfiltering screen semispherical in form, and the free edge of which issecured to said support along the periphery thereof; and a protectingshield made from coarse mesh screen material arranged outside said finemesh screen and secured to the periphery of said disc-shaped screensupport.

8. A strainer comprising a disc-shaped screen support the periphery ofwhich is turned inward and made to overlie the outer part of its bodyportion, a fine mesh filtering screen semispherical in form and the freeedge of which is turned outward, and is held between the inturnedperiphery and the body portion of said screen support; and a protectingshield made from coarse mesh screen material arranged outside of andoverlying the middle part of`said filtering screen, and the ends ofwhich are also held between the inturned periphery and the body portionof said screen support.

4. A strainer comprising a disc-shaped screen support having a tubularguide eX- tending therefrom, a fine mesh filtering screen semisphericalin form, and the free edge of which is secured to said support along theperiphery thereof; and a protecting shield made from coarse mesh screenmaterial arranged outside of and overlying a part only of the surface ofsaid filtering screen, and the ends of which shield are secured to theperiphery of said screen support at opposite parts thereof.

5. In a strainer of the class described, a disc-shaped screen supportmade from sheet metal and having a plurality of triangular lugs cut freeand bent so as to extend laterally therefrom, and which lugs aredisposed about an opening in said support; and a tubular guide arrangedin said opening and secured to said triangular lugs and eX- tending atright angles to said screen support.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEROY V. CRAM.

